IRGC head calls Iran protests 'world war'
The commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps called the nationwide protests an "international plot."
After Iranian cities were rocked by protests over the fuel subsidy cut, information out of the country has been scarce due to a nationwide internet shut-down. Government officials have been quiet — aside from making vague statements praising themselves for suppressing the protests — and have not shared many details of the number of deaths or arrests.
According to Amnesty International, there have been 143 deaths from the protests that began Nov. 15 after the administration of President Hassan Rouhani announced the fuel subsidy cut. While government officials have remained tight-lipped about this number, Iranian parliamentarian Ghasem Mirzaei Nikou told journalist Farzaneh Aeini that the number of those killed was more than 130. Nikou added that the number of arrests is unknown.
